Street-railway switch



(No Model.)

J. RIDGWAY.

STREET RAILWAY SWITCH.

No. 330.425. Patented Nov. 1-7, 1885.

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JOSEPH RIDGWAY, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

STREET-RAILWAY SWITCH.

SPECIFIGATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 330,4:25, dated November 17, 1 885.

(No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrl-i RIDGWAY, a, citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Minneapolis, county of Hennepin, and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Street-Railway Switches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in street-railway switches, whereby the switch is opened and locked by the car itself while in motion, and unlocked for a change in the direction of the car by a simple apparatus con nected with the car and under the immediate control of the driver. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents the apparatus and railway-track, as seen from the top and as laid for use. X X are the rails of the main track 5 Y Y, the rails of the side track. S is the frog, the sides of which rising above its bed at right angles form parts of the tracks X X. A is the tongue-rail pivoted to the frog at the joint 0, and playing horizontally on its bed. B is a post moving vertically through a mortise near the inside of the frog S, and connected below with the catch L, to be hereinafter described. D is a post moving vertically through a mortise in the outer l7I2l(Ji(-lLli, X, and hinged to the crank-shaft E, at the point K, as seen in Fig. 2. O is a small horizontal plate made fast to the lower side of the tongue-rail A, let into the frog S, and working through a mortise in the outside vertical part of the frog.

Fig. 2 shows the track and apparatus as seen from below. The rails rest upon and are se cured to cross-ties in the usual manner. E represents the crank-shaft bent at right-angles at the point a, and held in position by the supports J and G, through both of which it passes. J is bolted to the nearest stringer. G is attached to the frog S, as explained in Fig. 3. K is a joint connecting the crankshaft E and the post D.

Fig. 3 shows the apparatus as attached to the frog S. E is the end of the crank-shaft passing through its support G, which is firmly bolted to the frog S, at right angles with it. The squared end of E passes through H, and is secured by the nut I. H is an arm mortised for nearly its whole length, and at its upper extremity connected by a hinge-joint with the tongue-rail A, as follows: From the plate 0, rigid with the tonguerail A, a post, projects at right angles, which is received between the ends of the arms of H. Through this and the arms of H a pin passes, thus forming a joint. The upper end of this post is scarfed backward at a slight angle. mis a projection at right angles from the frog S, and bolted to it to furnish an attachment to the'catch L. L is the catch, hinged at oneextremity tom, by the bolt n, the other end passing through the mortised post B. V is a long mortise in L, through which the bolt 02 passes, allowing backward or forward motion to L, as needed. P is a spring bolted at one end to the frog S, and flattened at'the other end, which is inserted in a slot in L, and acts either horizontally or vertically. Q, is another spring bolted to the frog S at one end, the other passing over L in front of the upper part of H. NV is a projection of the frog S through a mortise, in which the post B moves. The upper edge of L, between the springs P and Q, is notched to receive the scarfed end of the post connected with O, as before described.

Fig. 4 shows the same as seen from the end. Fig. 5 shows the attachment to the car. A is a post working vertically through the platform J. Below the platform it passes through the plate a, which is held in place by the braces T T, bolted to the platform. Z is a spiral spring surrounding the post a. u is a small horizontal plate surrounding A, solidly attached to it to prevent the spring Z from throwing the post A too far upward, and also to keep the spring in place. The lower end of A carries the wheel I). O is a horizontal plate solid with A, with a rough upper surface, and which may be pressed downward by the drivers foot, thus forcing the wheel I) to the ground. Instead of the plate 0, the post a may be carried farther upward, so as to b pressed downward by the hand.

The mode of operating the switch illustrated and described herein is as follows: A car coming from the right in Fig, 1 wishes to follow the main track XXJxjThe outer wheels of the car in passing over the post D force it downward. This motion of D turns the crank- AXES shaft E, to which D is hinged. By the motion of the crank-shaft E, H is turned, and as H is moved the tongue-rail A is turned to the pposite side of the frog S, toward the inside of the track, leaving the outer side free. The car, without stopping, passes beyond the switch along the main line.. As H is turned, the post w passes along the upper side of the catch L untilit falls into a notch therein, just as the tongue-rail A reaches the inside of the frog S, and the upward pressure of the spring P upon the catch L holds an firmly looked. In moving a car coming from the right in Fig. 1 to the side track Y Y, the tongue A will be opened and looked, as in the former case. It should here be mentioned that the distance from D to B is a little more than that from the front of the car to the rear of the hind trucks. When the car has fully passed D, the driver, placing his foot on the plate 0 in Fig. 5, forces the wheel I) to the ground, and holds it there until it has passed over the post B, as seen in Fig. l. Forcing B downward, the catch L is also forced downward, releasing w and H, with the tongue A, being carried backward by the force of the spring Q. The tongue A then forms part of the rail Y Y, and the car passesonward on the side track. The car passing from the left to the right, whether on the main or side track, simply moves the tongue A aside by the flanges of the wheels, as in the ordinary frog. Should the tongue A be locked, the flanges of the wheels will readily force it outward, the mortise V in the catch L allowing the catch, with the springs P and Q, to move outward, as yielding to the force exerted on the tongue A.

The apparatus hereinbefore described may also be used as a railroad-switch.

- What thereforeI claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a street-railway switch, the combination, with the movable tongue-rail A and the frog S, of the self-locking apparatus consisting of the post D, the crank-shaft E, the arm H,

the post 00, the catch L, with its mortise V, and the springs P and Q.

2. In a street-railway switch, the combination, with the movable tongue-rail A and the JOSEPH RIDGWAY,

Witnesses:

JOSEPH W. MOLYNEAUX, R. WV. LAING. 

